MOORESVILLE, N.C. (WTAJ) — Actor Frankie Muniz is making his dream a reality as he announced he will be a full-time professional race car driver in 2023.
The 37-year-old “Malcolm in the Middle” star took to Twitter Wednesday to announce he will be driving for Rette Jones Racing in the ARCA National Series Championship, a feeder series for the three national racing divisions of NASCAR.
“Finally making my dream a reality, this one is for my son and showing him that you can always chase your dreams,” Muniz wrote. “Excited for this opportunity with Rette Jones Racing, Ford, and our partners to go full-time racing for an ARCA National Series Championship in 2023.”
According to a press release by Rette Jones Racing, Muniz’s first race will be at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18. He will be piloting the No. 30 Ford Mustang for the team.
Muniz had already been selling merchandise through his Muniz Racing website which detailed the beginning of his professional driving career. He gained racing experience through the Formula BMW USA Championship in 2006 and later in the ChampCar Atlantic Championship between 2007 and 2009.
Actor Frankie Muniz poses next to his car prior to the Pro/Celebrity race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Saturday, April 8, 2006, in Long Beach, Calif. Muniz came in 11th. Bucky Lasek won the race for the celebrity category and Todd Bodine won for the professional driver category. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) 
Actor Frankie Muniz straps himself into his car prior to the start of the Pro-Celebrity race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Saturday, April 9, 2005, in Long Beach, Calif. Muniz won the race for the celebrities. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) 
Actor Frankie Muniz is seen during the Toyota Pro/Celebrity press day in Long Beach, Calif. on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. The Toyota Pro/Celebrity race will take place during Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend April 15-17. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
He then set his sights on a racing career in NASCAR. Muniz previously showed interest in the national stock car series when he attended the 2001 Daytona 500. At the event, the then-child actor had the opportunity to meet Dale Earnhardt, who would later die in a crash during the final lap of the 500-mile race.
In January 2022, Muniz practiced in an ARCA car at Daytona. When speaking about the practice, he said he wanted to use the opportunity to learn and show what he can do.
Six months later, Muniz spoke with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio where he said he was talking to “a bunch of teams” in ARCA along with the NASCAR Truck and Xfinity Series. In an article published by NASCAR, Muniz said he acquired a license to race in the ARCA series and hoped to announce racing plans for 2023.
Muniz will strap into a race car for the first time as a full-time driver this Friday for a pre-race practice at Daytona.
Before this career pivot, Muniz racked up dozens of acting credits. He was Malcolm of the family sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle” in the early 2000s, a voice actor in the cartoon “The Fairly OddParents,” and the lead in “Big Fat Liar” and “Agent Cody Banks.”
